Mobile & Apps News South Africa

Google Go now available locally

Google has announced that its Google Go app, which provides a "lighter, faster way to search", is now available locally.

Memeburn's Hadlee Simons recently gave us the lowdown on the Google Go apps for emerging markets, using less data and requiring less storage space than the standard apps. You should have a look at it if you've missed it.

Google Go now available locally

Taking up less than 5MB, it allows users to easily search for information or see what’s trending in their country. You can also discover places nearby, browse videos, and access all your favourite apps and websites and discover the top destinations in your country.

It uses the latest version of Google’s advanced compression algorithm, using up to 40% less data to display search results. Search results are also cached on the device so you can quickly re-access previous searches, even when you’re offline, without incurring further data costs.

For us on the African continent, it's also good to note that web pages load quickly, even in data-saving mode or on 2G connections. The company says what this means for the user is a "lighter, faster way to search". Voice search has been improved to work better on slow connections.

“Users come to us to experience the web and access accurate information quickly. Unfortunately, users can’t always decide on the type of device they have or the kind of connection they are on,” says Google Africa Chief Marketing Officer, Mzamo Masito. “Google Go is designed from the ground up to address these issues and provide a seamless experience irrespective of what device or network the user is on.”

Google Go is available today in 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa through the Google Play Store. It will come pre-installed on all Android Oreo (Go edition) devices, and is available for devices running Android v4.3 (Jelly Bean) and above.

About Ilse van den Berg

Ilse is a freelance journalist and editor with a passion for people & their stories (check out Passing Stories). She is also the editor of Go & Travel, a platform connecting all the stakeholders in the travel & tourism industry. You can check out her work here and here. Contact Ilse through her website here.
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